I look at Simon and suddenly I get nervous. "Wait Simon... I don't have a dress and... and we are all alone and... and... and" He takes my hands in his and says, "Amanda... you don't need to be nervous. I know this goes all very fast, but believe me... everything is taken care of.  Alesha arrived today with your dress and David with my clothes so no need to worry about how you look and that we are alone... I know you don't remember David and only very little of Alesha, but they were your best friends too and I thought they should be here..."

I kiss his lips softly and say, "As long as I am with you, everything is perfect." He took all my nervousness and worries away with what he said... I don't know how he does it, but he does his job, which obviously calming me down and making me happy is, good.

I turn around to be greeted by Alesha. She smiles at me and takes my hand, leading me back into the huge house. I smile, knowing that Simon and I will be married by the end of the day. She drags me up the stairs, never letting go of my hand.

Flashback

"Alesha, I don't wanna go," I whine and Alesha looks at me sternly. "Listen closely, because I am not going to say it again! You are going no matter what you are saying! David and Simon are already excited. You were away for three months and we all are happy to have you back. I don't care if you have a bad day or are on your periode or what ever reason it had you are bitching about this. You'll go, end of the discussion!" she says making me shut up.

"I am not bitching about anything!" I say offended. "Nooo. You are just being incrediblly moody today," she says and rolls her eyes. "Hey, you are not the one that is heartbroken!"
I say and make her sigh. "You know if you would tell Simon, neither you or Simon would be heartbroken. You need to tell him at some point or you both will end up eighty and unmarried. Or even worse you unmarried and eighty and he with a sexy young girl and eighty," she says making me slap her arm slightly.

"Ouch that hurt!" she says fake offended. "You can be a bitch sometimes, you know that?" I say and look at her. "And that's coming from the idiot. Mhhh, I am not sure if I can believe someone as idiotic as you"

"Well then shut up and help me getting into this dress or we will still be sitting her tomorrow morning," I say and she smiles. "I always get what I want Holden! Don't forget that!" she says, making me laugh.

Back to reality

We are almost running up the stairs and she says, "Oh my god Amanda! I am so excited. You two are finally getting married!"  As soon as we are up the stairs, she hugs me tight and I say, "Well we obviously don't end up eighty and unmarried or even worse me being eighty and unmarried and he having a sexy young girl and being eighty."

"You... you can remember?" she asks totally flashed. "Yeah... Dixon you always get what you want!" I say, making her laugh. "Well I want you to see your wedding dress," she says, opening the doors. I look at my wedding dress and my jaw drops to the ground.

"It's beautiful!" I say and tears run down my tears.

All the details and the diamonds... god this dress is to kill for! "I was afraid you wouldn't like it," Alesha says and I turn around to look at her as if she is crazy. "You must be kidding! Every woman would kill for a dress like this! It has everything you could ask for! Diamonds, lace and it's just like a cinderella dress."

She hugs me tight and says, "Well then lets get you ready for your big day." She takes my hand and walks over to my makeup table, where she does her magic on me. After she is finsihed I look into the mirror to see a beautiful version of myself. I can't believe that this is really me. I smile and touch my hair slightly, not wanting to destroy its beauty. She curled it and put it up into bun. She left a few strands of her falling out and slightly brushed them out.

I look at myself. You are going to be a married woman before you know it Amanda... I have everything I ever wanted. Tears want to make their way down my face, but I swallow them before they can ruin the hard work Alesha put into it.

Alesha asks me, "Are you ready?" I turn my head and nod before we walk out of the room.

Simon's POV

I am with Simon in the second bedroom, where David and Alesha staying, and look at myself in the mirror. I am all ready and nervous as hell. "Well look at our lovely Simon, all grown up and about to get married," David says and I turn around to look at him.

"I though I would be dead before the day comes, where you decide which woman to marry," he jokes and I raise my one eybrow, saying, "Honestly, I have no idea why I invited you!"

"Because we are best friends Simon. But fun to the side. I am glad you two got your things together and are finally getting married. We all waited for this moment to happen for ten years!" he says and I smile. I really have the best friend in the world.

I turn around and look at myself again. Simon you can do this. It's just Manda and she will be your wife soon so don't worry so much! Nothing has changed. She is still the same person you woke up next to this morning and she will be the same tomorrow too. So finally calm down and get your damn nerves together!

...

We stand at the beach and are waiting for Alesha and Amanda to come. Then we see them and my heart skips a few beats. Amanda is the most beautiful bride I have ever seen in my entire life! Her dress and her everything is killing me. A tear slips down my face and she is short before letting one fall too.

She stops next to me and turns around to look at me.

Nobody's POV

"Today there will be no dearly beloved, no betrothed, and no ancient rhyme of the married.

Today there are no dead languages to solemnize vows that are very much alive and will remain so for a lifetime.

Today promises become permanent and friends become family.

However, this day is not about the words spoken or the rings exchanged, nor is it about grand pronouncements and recessional marches.

This day – the day of Amanda and Simon's wedding – is about love.

One of my favorite authors once wrote, "If love is not all, then it is nothing: this principle, and its opposite, collide down all the years of my breathless tale."

Amanda and Simon, your breathless tale is about to begin.

If love is not all, then it is nothing.

Its opposite – If love is all, then it is everything – is going to be the basis for every aspect of your relationship.

All you have to do is simply love one another and that love shows through in everything you do for one another, how you treat each other, in good times and bad.

Love isn't just a word; it's an action.

Love isn't something you say, it's something you do.

Love is genuine, honest, and open, compassionate and kind, passionate and blind, love doesn't know space or time, nor look through jealous eyes, and in the modified words of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never dies."

There are many different kinds of love, almost if not all of which are represented here today.

There is romantic love, the love of parents and children, of brothers and sisters and family, and love among friends.

Not only do Amanda and Simon love one another romantically – and they do, you can see it in every look, every touch, every moment they're together – they also love one another as friends.

In fact, they're best friends, constantly giggling and taunting and teasing and very plainly and obviously having fun together.

That love and enjoyment of each other as best friends will sustain them through this marriage.

In addition, the love collectively in this room, from friends and family, will help sustain and support the promises they make today.

All of us here will help solidify this bond, as these two individuals are joined as husband and wife.

This new journey will be at times richly rewarding and extremely difficult, but, most importantly, it will be a journey you take together.

Marriage is much more than your signatures on a legal contract.

You are promising, in front of all these people you love, that you want to be with each other and only each other for the rest of your lives, and that you will do everything in your power to honor the promises you are making here today.

For their part, the people who love you will also do everything in their power to try to help you hold up your end of the bargain.

Marriage will allow you a new environment to share your lives together, standing together to face life and the world, hand-in-hand.

Marriage is going to expand you as individuals, define you as a couple, and deepen your love for one another.

To be successful, you will need strength, courage, patience and a really good sense of humor.

So, let your marriage be a time of waking each morning and falling in love with each other all over again," says the pastor and tears are streaming down on Simon, Alesha, David and Amandas'  faces. Simon takes Amanda's hands and they look each other deep in the eyes.

"Do you, Simon, promise to be a loving friend and partner in marriage, to talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate, to respect and cherish Amanda's uniqueness? Do you promise to support, comfort, and strengthen her through life's joys and sorrows? Do you promise to share hopes and dreams as you build your lives together, and to grow with Amanda in mind? Will you strive to build a home that is compassionate to all, full of respect and honor, filled with peace, happiness, and love? Do you promise to always be open and honest with Amanda, and cherish her for as long as you both shall live"

"I love you unconditionally and without hesitation. I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. Today, I choose you to be my wife. I accept you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life's adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life," Simon says with all of his heart.

"Now I ask you," the pastor says, turning towards Amanda "Do you, Amanda promise to be a loving friend and partner in marriage, to talk and to listen, to trust and appreciate, to respect and cherish Simon's uniqueness? Do you promise to support, comfort, and strengthen him through life's joys and sorrows? Do you promise to share hopes and dreams as you build your lives together, and to grow with Simon in mind? Will you strive to build a home that is compassionate to all, full of respect and honor, filled with peace, happiness, and love? Do you promise to always be open and honest with Simon, and cherish him for as long as you both shall live"

Amanda looks him deep in the eyes and says with a shacky voice, "I take you as you are, loving who you are now and who you are yet to become. I promise to listen to you and learn from you, to support you and accept your support. I will celebrate your triumphs and mourn your losses as though they were my own. I will love you and have faith in your love for me, through all our years and all that life may bring us."

"I now pronounce you to husband and wife," the pastor says and turns to Simon. "You may kiss the bride."

Simon takes Amanda by the hips and pulls her into a passionate kiss that last over several minutes. Alesha and Daid applaude and wipe the tear off of their faces.

----

I am sorry it took me so long to update! I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it took me a while to write the part with all this formal stuff.

Kisses Kathi.